Self Contradiction
by ReverseSnow
Summary: In the Heaven's Feel route, after Shirou and Kirei beat the crap out of each other, Kirei gets sent back to the past. However, he doesn't end up in his own body, he ends up in Shirou's body.
1. Chapter 1

**Uhrm... in case you guys are wondering, this starts off on the Heaven's feels route. It's the part where Shirou beats the shit out of Kotomine on true end. There's probably going to be quite a few mistakes. I'm mainly a reader, not a writer. lul**

**Honestly, I was going to try and expand this, but I think it would've been horrible. I'm bad at writing in general and I'm confused where to put the comma's and stuff. To be honest, it feels like the story is proceeding to fast. If you see any mistakes and stuff, please point them out. Any tips are appreciated.**

**Anyways, please enjoy~**

* * *

"It's your win, Emiya Shirou." I say in my last moments.

I can't feel my heart beating at all; it is replaced by the void and nothingness that is my being. It was only a difference in time, the time I needed to win this battle. Unfortunately I was cut short by a second.

I see him on his feet, using all his strength to remain standing up. He's looking straight at me with an unwavering gaze, they no longer have any hesitation within them. The pain from the swords that grow out of his body mean nothing to him anymore, he's endured this whole time, at it's the same, even at the end.

Even if Emiya Shirou would win and save Matou Sakura from 'Angra Mainyu'.

Even if Kotomine Kirei would win and have Angra Mainyu is born into this world.

It means nothing now.

The battle for wishes, this fight for desires, has ended with my lost.

"I don't know how long you will last, but you should hurry if something is to be done."

He seems surprised, the expression on his face is obvious, he's looking at me with wide eyes. I'm encouraging him to go forward and finish the job now that he's beaten me. I'm surprised as well, not that he beat me, but the fact that I'm telling him to destroy Angra Mainyu.

If I said that I didn't mind in the slightest about the fact that I lost, I would be lying to myself. How vexing, am I destined to never find the happiness and pleasure I seek?

"You are the last master. Go to the Holy Grail and fulfill your wish." My last words are said in my usual tone. There's no change, there's no need to change; I have been living like this since the 4th Holy Grail War, nothing would be different.

My eyesight has faded away, my body is not responding to my commands anymore. My sense of touch has been cut off from my skin, the pain that was accompanied from the battle has disappeared, the breeze and coldness of the air, cannot be felt anymore. It's as if the numbness has replaced my sense of touch.

"Yeah, this is for hurting me so much. I'm going to destroy your wish." He replies back in a strange calmness. That's not the only reason, you aren't doing this just to destroy my wish, you're doing it because you have found 'someone' to fight for.

I can only smirk back at the humility of the situation.

So this is the path Emiya Shirou decided to take, the hero that decided to throw his ideals away, for the sake of one person. Disappointing, yet interesting. The hypocrisy that he stood by was thrown away, let him defeat me in the end, how hard was it to throw away your ideals? How long did it take for you to come to a conclusion? It's the complete opposite of Kiritsugu Emiya

I'd like to see where this path leads him in the future. But unfortunately, I'm not going to live to see the end of it.

I fall down on my front. This is the end of my path.

I must say, it has been fun; seeing the trouble and anguish of the contestants of this war brought me quite a bit of joy. I'm a bit disappointed though, I couldn't bring Angra Mainyu into this side of the world, but a dead man no longer has any right to complain.

How cliché, the heroes of justice always defeats the villains of evil, it's something that's regularly publicized in society. I don't see the beauty in such an ideal, it means nothing to me.

Something is forcing my consciousness to fade away, it's trying to make me sleep, I can't stay awake for much longer.

It's looming, something is around me, I can't tell what it is, but as I drift into my eternal slumber, it whispers in my ear, "I'll grant your wish."

* * *

"Senpai, are you awake yet?" Someone is trying to wake me up from my sleep. They nudge me and shake me, trying to get me up. However, the drowsiness wraps over me like a blanket, and my sleep continues.

Senpai?

No one has ever called me that, not since I graduated from the Theolofical College of Manrese , but that was a long time ago.

It was cold, was I sleeping out in the open? I open my eyes in an attempt to shake off my drowsiness, but to no avail do I succeed, until I catch a glimpse of the girl who's trying to wake me up.

"Matou Sakura?" I say in surprise.

She raises her eyebrows to my statement.

Did Emiya manage to save her from the grail? What was she even doing here? No, the even more surprising thing was the voice that was coming out of my throat.

It sound's exactly like-

"Senpai? Are you okay?" She says with slight hesitance. She seems to be slightly wary of me, it shouldn't come as a surprise. I was the one who tried to heal her and remove her crest warm, and I was also the one who desired Angra Mainyu to be born.

However, I have no idea of the situation in front of me. In an attempt to sit up, I put my palms on the ground and try to push myself up, but I lose my balance in the process and fall back down on my back.

"Senpai!" She says in worry and hastily tries to grab me, but fails, as I fall.

Something is with my body, it wasn't right, my body is disproportioned. This body is smaller, weaker, and younger, it's balanced in its own right, but it doesn't have my features. This… is not my body.

Where was I? There is a cupboard that's half of the length of this room in one corner, there were shelves that were stacked with what I see as junk, it's a stack of piece of metals, equipment, and small machinery that's used by the current modern age. The interior design suggests that this place is a storage house or shed, due to the size and type of floor on the ground.

Looking closer, there were pieces of materials lying around, they wouldn't have particularly caught my eye, but the peculiar thing about them was they had traces of prana, flowing through them, it was reinforcement magecraft. Along the ground, I notice a particular array that is embed onto the ground, was this a… summoning circle for servants?

This place was familiar, I remember seeing this through Lancer's eyes, when he tried to kill Emiya Shirou. This is place is…

I am too confused to think clearly. Answers, I need answers. But I don't want to do anything that would draw suspicion; I suspect anything I did now in front of the lesser grail, might have an impact on my current predicament.

"Could you possibly escort me to the bathroom? I am a bit tired." I asked, feigning tiredness. I pretend to grab my head my head and rub it while sighing, I don't want to draw any suspicion on any event that may come forth.

She stares at me with questioning eyes. As I try to get up, she helps me up by grabbing my left arm and putting me on her shoulder.

The moment I leave through the entrance, I use my right hand to cover my eyes from the sunlight that tries to blind me. My suspicions are confirmed the moment I regain my sight, this was the Emiya household.

The walk is plainly annoying, the girl kept trying to make small talk with me and was oblivious to my discomfort; she rambled about random things: the weather, school, cooking, and a lot of unnecessary things. I just nodded, pretending I was listening.

Looking at the state of this house, it has clearly been kept in good condition. There are hardly any specks of dust to be seen, and the whole place has been kept tidy. There is also the smell of food that is travelling around the house, it must be breakfast, the sun was rising from the west, so it must be morning right now.

As we walk, I can clearly see the bathroom through the door. I promptly dislodge myself from the Matou girl and slowly walk away from her.

The moment I get through that door, and bring myself to the mirror, my eyes widen in surprise.

Time stops, and an eternity turns into an instant. Why was I so surprised? I already had a hint of why my body felt so different.

What is staring back at me, is the person who destroyed my wish.

It was the same auburn colored hair, the same face, the same figure; and if I wasn't mistaken, he is reflecting the same expression, I have, back to me.

Emiya Shirou?

I twitch my body ever so slightly, and the reflection does the same.

There is only one conclusion that I can come up to, I am Emiya Shirou, no… I have inhabited his body and taken his place.

The last thing I remember about him was my defeat at his hands, his last burst only lasted for a moment. The numerous punches he landed on me broke my bones and crushed my nerves. Thanks to that, I couldn't get the last hit in. I remember the expression the showed, the immense rage that he felt was channeled through his fist for only one purpose, not for beating me, but for the sake of Matou Sakura.

It is a fact that I have now replaced Emiya Shirou, all that resides in his body is Kotomine Kirei. But if I am here, what has happened to the Kotomine Kirei, presently, at the church?

I have to out figure what's going on before I do anything.

The left arm on his body is not of Archer's; this body is the boy, whole. However the circuits on this body are dormant, it must've been a miracle for 'him' to use Archer's arm.

"Senpai?" Matou Sakura interrupts my thoughts. How long was she standing there? She's using her left arm to hold her right wrist and hesitantly open's her mouth, "Breakfast is ready."

I stare at her, waiting for her to leave, she stares at me back. I think this is what you would call an awkward situation, I was waiting for her to leave, but I guess she was expecting a response, "I'll be right there."

Sakura merely smiles back at me, and walks back to wherever she came from, but not without sneaking few glances at me.

How will I handle the next situation?

* * *

The food, situation, weather, and the people around this table, would have made for a peaceful and tranquil environment around us, if it weren't for me.

There were three people seated at the table: the Matou girl, some other woman reading the newspaper, and I. And the other two were staring at me, it looks like they noticed there is something different.

"W-Wha-What!? Shirou, the air around you has changed!" The other woman says at me in shock, whilst positioning her fingers into gun-shaped hands and pointing at me.

"Fujimura-sensei, what are you talking about? Senpai is the same as…" The Matou girl added on, her voice going more quiet near the end of her statement. She was holding her hand near her mouth.

Perceptive, or, maybe they're just extremely close to Emiya.

They noticed. I could very blatantly, tell the truth about who I am, and that would definitely ensure chaos about. But on the long side, they might spread the word about who I am, and the magic association or any other magi, might catch word of this. I could very well kill them right now, but people would notice the missing 'Fujimura-sensei' and 'Matou Sakura', I would be suspected and my actions would be restricted.

"I see." I bluntly state. There was no need to add any more words at this point in time. "The food is getting cold." I change the topic.

The Fujimura woman drops it and starts reading her newspaper that was placed next to her.

"Itadakimasu." The Matou girl says, with chopsticks between her index and middle fingers, whilst her hands are in a praying position.

She was the only one who said it, and was yet again, she was staring at me again with concern. Did I miss something? Oh, I mimicked her actions.

"Itadakimasu," I said with a certain edge to my voice. I wasn't used to saying something unnecessary and unfamiliar. Pretending to merely go with the flow, made me feel a bit uncomfortable.

Is it just me or was the other woman eyeing me while pretending to read the newspaper? It was possible that she noticed, no, she did notice the change in behavior in the person known as Emiya Shirou. I merely ignore her stare and continue eating my meal, it's not like she could do anything in the first place.

I ignore the supposedly, wonderful taste of the food and merely settle in my thoughts; I have to figure out how things are going to work out from here.

The last war that I fought in, ended up Matou Sakura becoming the vessel, Zouken Matou

This is merely a speculation, but I'm probably in the past, and not only that, I am in Emiya Shirou's body. However, this also means that the 5th Holy Grail War will yet again occur. Was there some higher force that has made this situation happen? Perhaps it might have been the grail which was still active before I died.

I have to question myself, what do I do from here? I could end up living as Emiya Shirou while doing what I've always been doing, or I could always just try to go back to my original timeline. But there is no reason for me to go back; I remember something whispering next to my ear, it was a dark, deep voice, that sounded sadistic and evil.

"I'll grant your wish."

…Was I brought here by the grail itself? Was this my wish? If it was, then how absurd. How could bringing me here, and putting me into Emiya Shirou's body, possibly grant my wish? If anything, it should be my original body.

I can't do anything now, it looks like my answers will be obtained, when I reach the grail.

Very well, let the havoc and chaos of the Holy Grail War, happen yet again.

First, I need to sort out the irregularities in this body. This body has contains Emiya's circuits, but the problem is they are dormant. I have to first open them to use these circuits, but there are more problems along those lines, I have no idea if there are any side effects if I use them, they don't belong to me, circuits are only a physical representation of the soul's circuits.

However, my circuits were also on this body, how very convenient. My circuits and Emiya's circuits were almost overlapping each other, it wasn't trying to replace one another, but it was almost they were trying to work with each other in harmony.

I will participate, regardless of whether I am chosen or not. I will aim for the Holy Grail to find what I seek, and whatever lies at the end of this path… I look forward to seeing it.

My chopsticks poke into the dish, without realizing it; I have finished all the food on my plate. I bring myself on my knees and bring myself up.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU USE ANY SAUCE!? MY PLAN IS RUINED!" The other woman gets up with her arms up, and abruptly shouts in my direction, "Don't you understand? The thing that gives food its brilliance is the sauce! You of all people should know that!"

She was extremely loud, her ferocity was almost like a lion's. What nonsense was she blabbering about? I could care less about such trivial things. If you were going to talking about food, it can only be-

"Mapo Tofu, if you want to talk to me about dishes, it has to be Mapo Tofu." I state.

Eating is only necessary to survive, human's need nutrients and water to survive. I could have cared less about the flavor of the dishes, you only needed to eat. But, there was one dish that even for a moment, filled my void.

Mapo Tofu. Not just any Mapo Tofu, it's the one from Fuyuki's Hongzhou Feast Hall: Taisan.

It moved me; the taste, stimulation, and intensity of the dish was something on a different world for normal people. The moment that scorching, deep, sauce touches my lips, it made an explosion in my mouth, and it opened my eyes to a new realm. For me, it was the unknown; for anyone else, they would probably describe it as, hell on Earth.

"I didn't know Senpai liked Mapo Tofu. Next time, could you teach me?" She asks gently, her eyes were pleading me to teach her. Did she want to cook for me that bad?

But I didn't know how to cook. Ah, it was Emiya, he knew how to cook. The only thing I can do is go back to the restaurant and ask the chef for the recipe.

"I'm tired, I'm going to rest." It wasn't a lie, after being thrown into such an absurd situation, my mind has taken its toll.

"Senpai, what about school?" The Matou girl asked me shyly.

By the time I heard her question, I am already out the door.

Stupid, not her, the fact that I would go to school again was stupid. I've already completed my education, on top of that, I was the student council president and skipped two years. There's nothing I would gain there.

"Ignoring people? I didn't raise you to be that type of person!" The other woman roars.

"Fujimura-sensei…" I can't hear their voices anymore, I think I'll go back to that shed.

* * *

It looks like they've left. I had to wait quite a while in the shed.

That Fujimura woman kept pestering me about school and being a model student, I think I could call this assault, if not for the Matou girl holding her back. I lied down and pretended I was asleep to avoid any complications.

Now… the thing I'm worried about the most are the circuits on this body. It is convenient that the circuits from my old body have been carried onto this one. However, the rest of the circuits, which I'm assuming belong to Emiya Shirou's, are currently dormant and inactive. Wonderful, there are two circuits on this one body.

I have exactly 20 magic circuits, the amount of your average Magus has. The total amount in this body equates to 47 circuits, 20 that are active, and 27 inactive circuits. That's more circuits than Rin was born with, however the quality my circuits are only average, there's nothing special about them.

I'm worried about how Emiya's circuits will affect me. The circuits are not mine; circuits on the body are only a physical representation of the magic circuits of the soul, therefore, these circuits could be incompatible with me, but this is only a guess. It could be possible that they would eventually disappear, or maybe it wouldn't matter at all, and I could just use them anyway.

Was there any reason to risk my life to gain more power? No. But I'm still opening them anyway.

Sitting down on the ground, positioning myself to sit upright with my hands on my knees, I concentrate.

I breathe in and out, trying to control the rate my heart is beating. I can't feel the temperature around me anymore. I'm merely focusing on the insides. Breathe in, breathe out, in, out. My heart is now beating once, every 2 seconds, this was necessary to control the rate of which I control the energy through my body. That's half of the average human heartbeat.

Awakening circuits the first time was extremely pain, even for me. That's why I need to control and endure the pain.

My image to ignite my circuits was simple- the wails and cries of children were enough; I never stuck to one thing, I would just become too attached to it. The different images in my head would decide how much prana I decided to channel through my circuits.

I start the process. I tap into these untouched circuits and slowly start to channel the prana throughout my bod-

Pain.

It's extremely painful. It's as if my body has been stabbed many times with swords. I can see the circuits inside me open up, they are lighting up, bit by bit, this was going to be an excruciatingly process, and it will take time to recover as well.

I can't tell if I'm bleeding or not, everything around me looks and feels red. How do you feel colour?

The pain is starting to sing out in euphoria. It's teaming up against me and are aiming at the weakest points.

7 circuits are now open.

What's this? There's something else, it's foreign, and it's taking my prana soothing the pain, but I can't comprehend it.

I can barely make out its shape, it looks like a golden sheathe that is decorated in power. I couldn't comprehend the power that was flowing through it, it was foreign to me. It was shining brightly… this, impossible, is this a conceptual weapon? It looked very similar to something I have seen before.

13 circuits are now active.

In my surprise, I nearly forgot to control my breathing and let all the prana go at once.

"AHHHH!" I scream, I couldn't hold it back. It hurt. The swords were stabbing at me from every direction I could feel. Up, down, left, right, they are all coming towards me, and I couldn't do a single thing. I had to take it if I wanted these circuits open.

Not only that, there was something else invading my body, another foreign energy. There was burning sensation on my hand, it was marking itself on my hand and invading this body's circuits. I nearly faint from the stimulation, but I manage to hold on and stay conscious.

It was a command seal. It wasn't the one I stole off the Fraga along with her servant, it was the one Emiya Shirou had when he was in the war.

What servant will I obtain? Will it be Saber? Maybe it will be my old servant Hassan-i-Sabbah, his noble phantasm was the ability to split into eighty seperate entities, all with a different presonality. It was very convenient during the 4th war, I was able to observe most of the situations as they would obey orders and split up; I was aligned with the supervisor of the church, Risei Kotomine, he was my father.

I couldn't trust the system of the Holy Grail anymore, there were too much anomalies too consider it a proper war. It was possible that I would summon the same servant of another participant or even summon Avenger of all people.

20 circuits are ready for use.

I'm surprised I have the capacity to think in this situation. It looks like I had underestimated my own ability to handle pain. I was able to focus on other things.

It wasn't long until the last seven circuits would open, the finish line was near.

The world must be laughing at my suffering. I can hear the wind outside blowing against the shed, the sound it made as it traveled passed the slit through door was ominous. It was as if it were trying to scorn me.

26 circuits are ready to have prana channeled.

There was only one more circuit left.

The pain now morphs into numbness, it looks like it's about to end.

I wasn't glad, even if this finishes, I wouldn't be happy because the pain ends. Freeing myself from pain would not bring me happiness.

As the last circuit is open, I felt my 20 circuits trying to take my prana, my own circuits were doing as they please. This spread to the other 27, newly, activated, circuits; they were mimicking the actions of my circuits. It was now a tug of war. I didn't want this, I want them to stop.

All 47 circuits are suddenly flooded with prana, at full burst, without any warning.

Reality is crushed around me into nothing, and reality rebuilds itself from nothing.

mY BoDy is MadE oF *******

* * *

**Review please~~**


	2. Chapter 2

**Yus~**

* * *

What happened?

Before I realize it, everything dyes itself in a swirl of red and black. I can't see myself, I can't see anything, but I can feel the world around me. My senses are still there.

It's evil, it's dark, it's despair, and… it's me.

The world that appears before me cannot be observed with my eyes. I can't see the world around me.

Correction.

I don't need to see it. I already know what it is. The magnificence that this world presents, it can only be understood by one person, Kotomine Kirei.

This world is-

* * *

It broke. The world that was built up from nothing has faded away from reality. All that's left is the former reality that had existed from the start; it was the current world as we know it.

The amount of prana I have is now at a minimum, like a waterhole that has dried up.

I'm on my back, I sprawl my arms and legs out, trying to make out heads and tails of what just happened.

I understood that I was missing some things that were essential to being human, but I didn't think that my distortion was already on such a level that it would be equivalent to the 'alien common sense of demons'. How did I reach this conclusion?

I am sure that the world created just now was a world that was within me. My ideals, way of life, and conclusion of my desire have led this to occur, it is something that is unique to the person themselves.

A reality marble…

Never in my wildest dreams, did I ever think I would possess such a thing.

A new possibility opens up, I could perhaps rival the servants of this war; a person of this age could possibly defeat a servant. I must be crazy for thinking such a thing, but it definitely isn't an illogical thought.

It is now a fact that things will probably be easier for me from now on in this war, I can worry less about encountering servants when I'm on my own. Now it all depends on the servant I summon. All the classes, except Saber, should be taken, but anomalies could occur like the other wars. The black grail, avenger, and you could consider Gilgamesh an anomaly himself.

Matou Zouken is the biggest threat in this war; he knows his ways around the rules, and can bend them to suit his needs. He was the one who created the 'Book of False Attendant', it allows another person to have ownership of a servant. Even though it isn't perfect, the fact that such a thing exists proves how dangerous Zouken is.

There was the fact that Emiya was able to use Archer's arm. What exactly was their relation? The Einzbern grail seemed to be aware of the relation between those two, but I can't connect the dots. Archer was a Heroic Spirit while Emiya was just a human, what on Earth did they have in common?

I will have to investigate and find out later. An archer that projects weapons and fights with swords, his identity is was confusing unfathomable; to think someone like that would be summoned into the archer class. Comparing him to Gilgamesh, Archer looked more normal. Gilgamesh shoots out Noble Phantasms, like arrows, from his Gate of Babylon.

I wouldn't be surprised if the counter force were to intervene. No, it was possible that it has already intervened. Emiya Shirou. His arm was melted off him and was on the verge of death, he was saved because I attached Archer's arm onto him. Were these events just a coincidence, or was it a greater force that pushed him?

I desire the birth of Angra Mainyu, and that would subjugate the world under the threat of destruction. The counter force would take effect and have another oppose me, or a counter guardian would be summoned to rid me.

I slowly try to bring myself to my knees, the strain from my magic circuits makes me stagger and struggle to get up, I nearly slip up halfway through. I grit my teeth in pain and irritation. My body feels hot; my circuits were overused within an instant. My feelings are in a swirl of confusion, there was a slight fulfillment; accompanied by irritation, anger, and frustration.

I'm not sure if I could sustain a servant properly in my current state, my prana pool is low. It will only set back the summoning for a while, but my intuition is telling me that something will definitely go wrong today.

That circle that's on the floor… there's no doubt about it. It's a summoning circle. The material that's used, maybe different, but these are these are the same marks and drawings, used to summon a servant. Why was there a summoning circle here? If I remember correctly, Kiritsugu Emiya never summoned a servant here. What was this place for?

I will try at midnight, by the time my energy takes to recover, it should be enough.

* * *

The streets of Fuyuki are quiet. The amount of people that use to wander around, in this town, has decreased. The amount of civilians from when I was the priest, before the 5th war, has decreased. It looks like even before the 7th servant was summoned, the cogs that have been placed have already started to turn.

There it was, the fragrance that I so much desired to smell, it was working its way around the air, only to dance towards me. This smell signified one thing, the greatest dish of spice cuisine, Mapo Tofu.

I could see the entrance, I could only see the entrance; this place had no windows to observe the insides.

It's run by a Chinese man who likes to fill his creations with red pepper, layers of red pepper that stack up on each other to exponentially amplify the taste. His cooking isn't just as simple as it sounds; I once tried to make the dish myself. I could have sworn that I made it look exactly the same, but the taste was the question of the dish. He took a journey to find his true self within the midst of the cooking battlefield, the result ended up with this magnificent dish that fills my void.

Within these past ten years as a priest, he is one of the people that have gained my respect.

I push the door open, and walk inside. And yet again, I am shocked. There are two faces that stand out of the place, it isn't just because of the air around them, but because I would recognize them anymore. I stagger slightly from the sight of them.

One of them had gold hair, red irises, and a black themed jacket, pants, shoes, and a white shirt on the inside, it much resembles a biking suit; however the thing that made this man stand out weren't his clothes, but his aura that screamed out riches and power. If you were to describe his aura, it would be 'arrogance'.

The other man was the one that visibly shocked me the most. Complete black garments, whilst having a blue robe on top and a necklace that has the symbol of Christ.

Gilgamesh and Kotomine Kirei.

I should have expected this, and I did, but when you see it in front of you, it still shocks you.

On their table, there are a numerous amounts of alcohol bottles, stacked up plates, and iced water on the side of the table. The bottles were on Gilgamesh's side with a plate that had three-quarters of mapo tofu, while the rest were stacked up plates that were on Kirei's side.

Gilgamesh's folds his arms and puts them on the table, and lays his head to rest on them. He seems to be moaning quite a bit, he must be suffering from the spices that dance wildly on his tongue. His aura seemed to diminish with this act.

The other me is trying to finish his other plates, whilst drinking the iced water at an extremely fast pace, his hands are never stopping like an ocean current. He is sweating quite a bit. Is this how I look when I eat? I didn't realize I did so much to eat mapo tofu.

I look for any remaining free tables that are available, there was only one. I did not expect this, this place wasn't usually this busy. The table however, is right across the Heroic spirit and the priest. I walk with my hands in my pocket while staring at the duo. I didn't want them to know I was a master yet at this point in time. I sit on the side where they cannot see my left hand. I should have worn gloves.

A little brown Chinese girl walks up to my table in a waitress uniform with a big smile on her face, "Welcome! Here's the menu aru~"

"There's no need for that, mapo tofu please." I say in a firm voice, before she hands the menu to me. "I only wanted mapo tofu please."

"Right away aru~" She bows and walks away.

I would now be waiting in peace for my food as I listen to the food being cooked. But…

The duo across was staring at me.

"Another crazy one. All the people in this waste-hole are fanatics." Gilgamesh says in disgusts as he looks at me, then turns his head away. When did he get back up? Probably when I ordered mapo tofu.

I look at the food the other me is eating, then I look back at Kirei, and I nod. He nods back. It was a mutual understanding that could only be understood between those who eat mapo tofu. As expected of the other me. If my eyes weren't fooling me, I could've sworn that he just smirked just now.

"What's the matter, Gilgamesh? Don't tell me the King of Heroes can't take a measly dish from the east?" The priest says in a high tone, it was a question that was meant to taunt Gilgamesh.

"Hmph, it sure be honoured that such a thing has entered my mouth. I'm done with this trash." Gilgamesh replies back while closing his right eye, and flicks his hand at the dish. Then he pulls out more wine out of his Gate of Babylon, something he shouldn't be doing in public; no one seems to care, they think it's a magic trick. There aren't any complaints either.

The truth was he was trying to handle the taste of mapo tofu, that's why he came along on this trip. But the King of Heroes would never admit to such a thing.

"Hmm." The priest takes his last spoonful and finishes the dish. He places his spoon down and puts his palms together. "Wonderful."

They get up and walk off, though Gilgamesh still hasn't finished his plate.

The same girl that served me is back with a mapo tofu dish on her palm and a jug with iced water, "Ready aru~"

That was fast, Batsu was probably getting better at his dishes, or he's just rushing.

"Hmm." I say in preparance for the food.

I pour the water into a cup. With my left hand holding the cup, my right hand holding the spoon, I was ready.

This time, I could truly say-

"Itadakimasu."

* * *

"Wonderful." I say, yet again, as I walk out the store. The food never fails to disappoint me.

Now that I finished eating, I need to put my priorities on the war. There was something I needed to do for my goal.

Convenient, I found what I was looking for to start trouble in this war.

There were mostly little children with their parents crowding this store.

It was a store that had animals that were in their infancy. It had from smalls animals like rats to the largest animals which were dogs.

The counter was now free and someone was there. I walk up.

"I would like to buy a pet."

* * *

It's quiet, much too quiet. It's almost like the calm before the storm, something was going to happen, and that was me. I look up at the dark ocean sky, the moon seems like it could fall on me at any moment.

I am currently wearing black garments that resemble my old clothes, except I didn't have the robe. And I was wearing a bag, it held my… pet. This is going to be very short-lived.

I walk into the school cautiously; I have to beware of Lancer, Archer, and Rin. I remember observing the fight from Lancer's eyes; the battles of Heroic Spirits are on a different level. We humans can barely touch that level. It's not necessary to kill the servants in battle; you can aim for the master to kill the servant

But where would the fun be in that?

The anguish and pain these heroes endured, can be very easily exploited. That is why I specifically bought this animal, it was just for him.

This time I could feel it; there was an extremely warm feeling bubbled up inside me. I felt this feeling, very few times. My mouth nearly turned into a grin on its own; however, I hold it back. I don't know why I'm trying to hold it; I feel it's not appropriate until the time comes.

I hear the grinding and clash of steel from somewhere. I turn the corner and walk straight along the walls of the building.

There are three figures, Rin, Archer, and Lancer.

Rin is standing behind Archer, keeping her distance from the battle.

The blue Lancer and red Archer are in the midst of battle, exchanging blows.

Lancer is fast, he has great control over his lance. It was almost as if his lance was part of his body. His swings were too fast for the human eye to follow, and his thrust were like bullets; he would retract his lance after each stab, and repeat.

It looks like that Lancer would nearly get fatal-blows in, but Archer miraculously parries and counters. Archer was definitely having a bad time; he staggered not from the strength, but the speed he is facing.

Each time he swung his sword, there would be huge gaps within his defense that were exploited. But, he still hasn't taken a hit yet. He was clumsy, but his fighting style was refined. He leaves his fatal points exposed, to guide the weapons to those points and block them. What a confusing and dangerous style.

I wouldn't have figured this out, if it not were Lancer. There was no other way for Archer to fight an opponent with this much speed and ferocity, he was making it obvious, even to my eye. It looks like Lancer hasn't noticed yet though, he's enjoying the battle, but he's showing looks of frustration too.

An archer who uses swords. Lancer must be extremely confused about the identity of his opponent; I am too.

I hear rattling from the bag, it looks like my pet has started to wake up.

As carefully as I can, I place the bag down so the thing inside won't be woken up too quickly. I quietly unzip the bag towards the direction of this fight. The sparks and sound should attract the animal towards their direction.

I hide myself within the shadows of the building and immerse myself in my surroundings. This isn't the first time I've had to do this; learning Bajiquan was extremely helpful with controlling my body. With the darkness of night, and with the opponent's attention focused on each other, it will be very unlikely that I'll be noticed.

"Woof!"

Rin looks towards the direction of the sound.

Archer stops and retreats to Rin.

Lancer stops and turns his head towards the little creature.

It was standing on all four of its legs. Its tongue was hanging out of its mouth. It was looking at Lancer, completely oblivious to the atmosphere of the battlefield, and it runs towards Lancer.

"WOAH! WAIT! What the hell!?" Lancer panics with a frown, whilst his hands wave about. The little mutt was running towards him.

Lancer has an emotional attachment to dogs. The legend says that he killed two dogs. The first was accidently killing one of the guard dogs of the Master Blacksmith Culann. The second one was when he killed 'Culann's savage dog', Culann's most prized dog. He took responsibility as the guilt was built upon his shoulders, and the declaration was made that he would be 'Ulster's Dog'.

He stops waving his hands, and braces himself. Lancer could have avoided this dog, but he decided to catch it on a whim. It's not like he had a reason to dodge.

However, as soon as the dog landed in his hands, it winces in pain.

"Hey! Are you okay, little guy!?" Lancer asks the dog

The little creature was writhing in pain. It managed to keep moving about, despite being held by Lancer's superhuman strength. It kept barking and whining as the pain that was rooted in its stomach, spread about like a disease.

The barks start to get painfully louder. A mark appears on its stomach, it's a black mark with irregular lines; it looked similar to the Matou's girls command spell that covered her whole body. The similarity didn't stop there, the nature it gives off is also the same.

Lancer has no idea what to do. He's never seen anything like this before. He doesn't know how to deal with it.

And before Lancer realizes it, the dog's skin literally closes in. The dog was dissolving from the inside out; it was going to become flat. The sounds that came from the dog have silenced, the sound of a burning acid was taking its place.

The dog dying from the curses I put in, but the expression on Lancer's face is something to be savored. The contempt, sadness, despair, and anguish that is in front of me. The joy I feel at this moment cannot be described with words. My mouth was moving on its own, it was turning into a smile that contorted my face. I wonder what my face would look like in a mirror.

But… this was a bad situation for me now. The helpless Lancer is now in rage, he's furiously angry. Blood was seeping down his hands, it's all that's left from the skin. He gently put down the skin down and looked towards the direction of the bag.

"WHO THE HELL DID THIS!? GET OUT HERE!" Lancer was screaming out with a voice of regret. Looks like his past was reflecting his reactions; his spear took many lives close to him, and the helplessness he possesses hasn't changed.

"Master, let's get out of here." Archer says to his master.

And without waiting for her response, he picks her up bridal-style, and leaves. Lancer doesn't bother with them at all.

This is bad. If he finds me, he's sure to kill me. I'm scared that if I make any movements now, he might find me. But isn't he going to find me either way? He could probably still find me from my breathing, not to mention that my heart rate is now speeding up.

I should have summoned a servant first thing. I stopped because if I summoned the wrong servant, the servant would have gone against my actions.

Is this what it feels like, when a man cheats on his wife? The regret of taking a bad decision fathoms me. I don't know if that example was comparable. I should focus on reducing my breathing, though it probably won't do anything.

If you asked me, was all this trouble worth it? I would definitely answer 'yes'.

He's slowly wandering, gradually making his way towards this direction.

If I try to flee, he'd instantly catch up. He is one of the fastest servants in this war.

Looks like I have no choice but to drop out this early within the game. How disappointing, to think I'd meet my end like this.

"What! What do you mean retreat!?" Lancer retorts to nothing. He is talking to his master right now. "I have to get the guy who did this!" Lancer points at the leftover skin.

"TCH! DAMMIT!" He kicks the ground, causing dust to come out, and quickly picks up the bag. In anger, he jumps onto the buildings like an acrobatic, and leaves.

Hmph, so death isn't coming after me yet. How fortunate of me.

* * *

I feel that death is impeding on me. I feel like that I'm in a state of rush, the adrenaline from encountering Lancer hasn't worn off yet. By the time I got back, it was already midnight, that's why I'm doing this now.

It is time. I hold out my left hand, and put my right hand on my left wrist.

"Fill, fill, fill, fill, fill. Repeat five times. Destroy the warped time."

I feel my circuits starting to warm up. They were in a state of preparation to be used and have prana channeled through.

The circle was slightly glowing. It was reacting to my chant and prana.

I swallow my throat. I haven't done this since ten years ago. I feel a bit of nostalgia from this sensation.

"My will creates your body, and your sword creates my destiny."

There was prana, it was channeling through my body. Slowly and gradually, it was building up.

The circle was now fully glowing. It was shining extremely bright. I think it was so bright that if I did this here during midday, people would still notice.

"I announce. Thy body shall be under my command, my fate shall be determined by thy sword."

It was starting to rage about, the prana is trying to go out of control and get out of my circuits.

My body was rejecting what was happening, it's only natural. Magecraft is rejected by this world and is always being eliminated by the world.

"If you heed the grails call and obey my will and reason, then answer me."

My body was in pain. It was like opening those dormant circuits. The pain and sensations were nearly the same.

The swords that were stabbing me from last time are back.

"I hereby swear. I am the one who shall become the evil of all the world. I am the one who shall lay out 'all the world's evil' in the eternal world.

I twist it; I twist the chant for the summoning. There's no need to lie to myself, and the grail is already corrupted.

I could feel my link to Angra Mainyu. It was resonating deeply within me. And at the end of the link, I could see it.

Something was trying to birth itself into this world.

"Thou art Seven heavens clad in the Three Great Words. Emerge from the ring of control, Guardian of Balance!"

And everything is flood in light, a light that twists itself into darkness. It's corrupted, it wasn't the normal feeling that I felt ten years ago when I saw the summoning of Gilgamesh and Assassin. It was dark, corrupt and blackened. It was a servant that's corrupted like a grail.

And I would recognize this servant anywhere.

She donned on pitch black armor with red lines around her gauntlets, waist, neck, and shoes. There was darkness that was covering her, but it stopped at the chin and kept going to the sides of the face.

It is a dark, glorious, sword with red outlines. This sword has lost all of its golden beauty. No, it was a different beauty; something about this sword has made me enchanted with it. There was something different about this sword, and whatever it was, it made my heart skip a beat.

It was the one from ten years ago. It was the servant that destroyed the grail with her Noble Phantasm. It was the one that was caught by that shadow of the grail. It was the one summoned by Emiya Shirou.

She has lost all her nobility, there's nothing to distinguish that once proud and honorable knight.

But her actions are the same, she stands with whatever pride she has left, with her two swords holding on her sword that's stabbed onto the ground. She looks straight at me with unwavering eyes.

"To think I've been summoned by you again…this is the second time." She says in irony.

"Very well… I'll ask of you. Are you my master?" Her irony changes into a deep, sharp, dark tone.

"Indeed. I am your master. My name is…" Who am I right now? Emiya or Kotomine? Am I allowed to choose who I am right now? Am I allowed to take up the name Emiya? I am... "I am… my name is Emiya Shirou."

It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the full truth either. The name of this body is known as Emiya Shirou.

She looks at me with hardened eyes. Was she questioning my confusion?

But, then she smiles.

"Under the name of… Avenger, I have come forth in response to your summons. From this time forward, my sword shall be with you and your fate shall be with me. Now, our contract is complete."

Avenger… originally he was summoned into the 3rd Grail War to replace Berserker. He was weak and was quickly eliminated. But, he was the one who corrupted the Holy Grail and caused the servants with evil alignments to be summoned. He's also the being that is trying to come back into this world as the incarnations of 'All the World's Evil'.

It would make sense for her class to be Avenger, as she is stained by the shadow. The bigger question is how she's here? It shouldn't be possible; another anomaly of this war that needs to be solved. At this point, this war can't be considered a proper 'Holy Grail War' anymore. There's too much things that are different from the norm.

I could feel the link that's established between us. On top of that to confirm it, there is a conceptual weapon within me; it's resonating with her, like a baby who's found its mother. I will have to find out what this thing inside me is later.

"Master, were you attacked by a man in blue tights with a red spear?" She asks me.

"No." I reply bluntly

"Hmm… would you like an explanation of what you've been dragged into?" She asks again.

"No." I honestly don't want it. I already know the rules myself, there's no point for her to explain it to me.

She closes her eyes, and silence smothers the atmosphere. She's contemplating about something, but that's the only thing I can tell. I can't read her. Her expression is too stiff.

Then she opens her eyes.

"Do you know my identity as a Heroic Spirit?" She asks, yet again.

"Yes."

The silence has returned. She stares at me with eyes that could stab me if I wasn't careful. She was waiting for a response. I know if I play stupid here, it will turn out bad for me in the long run.

"…Arthur Pendragon." I state.

Immediately, I nearly break down from the sudden change around me.

"Who are you!?" She asks me with immense bloodlust.

The atmosphere changes within an instant; it feels like I'm drowning in an ocean. I'm shivering in fear; it's my body's natural reaction. The killing intent from a blackened servant is indeed different. I know this feeling, it was the same one from the blackened Berserker back when we were running from him.

She brings her sword to my neck.

"Talk."

* * *

**yus~**


	3. Chapter 3

**It irritated me about the first name, sir name thing. So I went back and switched the order lol. Shirou Emiya is now Emiya Shirou, just like it is in the anime, game and stuff.**

**I.. I really didn't extend the conversations, even though I should've.**

**Also about the name Arturia; Even though Kirei said he knew her name was Arthur, there was no way that he knew her name was Arthuria, just saying.**

**In the end, I have no idea why invisible air was taken out. If somebody could clarify why it was taken out, I'd appreciate it. I might shove invisible air back in somehow. For now, I'm just going to assume that she never needed to use it or something as she was pretty beast when Sakura was her master.**

* * *

Footsteps can be heard outside; a new presence has presented itself within this household. It wasn't trying to hide his presence. If the person is trying to hide his presence, they are doing a horrible job at it.

Avenger silences herself in an instant, if not for a moment. There is no ambush or anything of the like, an ambush would mean that they would try to destroy this whole shed. It looks like the person outside is either waiting for us to communicate, or is some honourable, prideful, servant that's waiting to fight us. But it's not possible for them to know I'm a master, if that is truly the case.

"We will settle this matter later." Avenger lets down her sword with an emotionless expression. She slowly and cautiously walks to the entrance of the shed.

Would she have truly cut off my head, despite me being her master? I don't want to test her, but the way she is right now, she could be more of a liability than an ally.

I slowly walk behind her from a distance. I was careful, even though she is my servant, she had her sword at my throat. It feels like if I let my guard down at any moment, she will cut me down.

There was a tall, tanned man with a red cloak standing outside. He has a frown on his face. He's eminently staring at Avenger in shock. It looks like he was expecting someone else to be summoned.

"Saber…" Archer mutters quietly.

Avenger narrows her eyes at Archer's comment. That name has significant meaning to her, even though she is summoned into this war at Avenger.

"Though I may wield a sword, my class is not Saber. I am the servant, Avenger." Avenger promptly corrects Archer. She may have been Saber in the previous war, but now she has announced herself as Avenger.

The shock on Archer face is now apparent, his eyes widen, and his teeth grind against each other in displeasure. He's trying to say something, but it looks like each time he does, his words lose all rationality. He is at a loss for words, he looks like he wants to say something, but laying his eyes on Avenger has left him speechless. He hasn't taken his gaze off Avenger once.

What is going on? Why is Archer acting this way? It's even strange that he would come here out of all places. There was no relation between Archer and this place, no foreknowledge, no information about the summoning circle here, no idea that I am even a master. Yet, why does he arrive at this place?

A flash of guilt strikes his face. He stops staring at Avenger and looks down onto the floor. A careless move, he was letting his guard down. But Avenger does not do anything to prepare her sword.

"Why have you come here?" Avenger questions Archer.

Archer quickly looks back at Avenger. The emotional drama in his head is still going on. But it looks like he's still going to talk.

"I came here to negotiate terms. I'm Archer. I think we should have a truce." Archer says in a wavering tone

"I am not asking about your desire. How did you know that I would be summoned here?" She asks again in a louder tone. The irritability in her voice seeps through her voice.

I couldn't have said it better, myself. Actually, I could. At the very least, she was one the one who brought out this point, not me. If I asked, he probably wouldn't have answered.

This is currently the most important question, how did Archer get this knowledge? It's highly unlikable that he just stumbled upon this place by chance and waited. Unless… unless he is from the future, just like me.

A smirk surfaces on Archer's face, and he crosses his arms together. "Who knows? It's a mystery, isn't it?" He says in a cynical tone.

It wasn't funny, at all. Not to me, and especially not to Saber. Because Saber is now fuming with black mana around her, it was dancing and squirming around her. The mana itself looks alive, it's almost like it's moving as it pleases. I could have sworn there were voices coming out of it.

Archer's smirk, disappears, and lets his arms drop.

"I can't say, not until I can figure out where this war will go. And not until I can find out whether you're an enemy, or ally." He answers back. "At the very least, can we have a ceasefire?"

This is most troubling. He wants to have a truce, but not disclose any information he has. We could possibly have a potential ally that could stab us in the back if left to his own devices.

His ability to project Noble Phantasms, however, is extremely valuable. He could possibly be one of the stronger servants in the war that could turn this whole game around.

A threatening enemy, but reassuring ally if he is trusted.

But, he's not asking me, he's asking Avenger if she wants the truce. I feel insulted, why is it the servant and not the master that decides?

"Where is your master?" I ask the red servant.

His attention shifts to me now. He is looking at me from top to bottom, he's checking out my appearance and is making notes of me. And for an instant, there was a tinge of regret.

"I had my master retire early. She needed her beauty sleep after all." He says in a sarcastic tone.

In other words, it translates to 'my master is an eyesore, so I ditched her.' This servant was going to plan ahead in this war, without informing his master? From what this servant has shown so far, there was no malicious intent behind his words.

As if my thoughts were being read, she turns this way.

"Master, I will leave this decision to you." She makes me decide on whether to take this truce or not.

My mouth curls slightly upwards. Should it not be obvious what my choice will be?

* * *

"Master, are you not going to cook?" Avenger 'requests' me, in the form of a question.

She has stripped off her whole armor, and is now wearing, what people of this generation call these clothes: Goth fasion. A black dress with a white skirt underneath; black stockings that are worn on her feet; and a black ribbon that ties her hair into a pork bun.

"No." I answer to her. I could feel it, the chance that my head is going to come off is increasing, and the culprit is the girl that is staring at me. "It's late at night." I quickly follow up.

It hurts, her stares hurt me. I visibly shake. Each time I deny her actions, I'm hurt by swords, in the form of a stare. Was there some magic involved?

"Surely you jest, is it not the duty of the host to serve the guests?" She argues back.

What ridiculous joke, is this? A servant does not need to eat food, a blackened servants should be no exception to that rule. The only thing she would gain, is the pleasure of the taste from the food.

Pleasure? In the end, servants are no different from humans, they all desire happiness and pleasure, even after death. Very well.

"Indeed it is. Rejoice, you shall get the meal you so much desire." I almost say in a happy tone, my voice only rises slightly. I am looking forward to my next experimentation.

* * *

"What is this monstrosity?" Avenger looks at me with a pale face. Her already pale face, has gotten even paler from the sight of my dish.

My mouth slightly curves upwards.

I'm currently sitting across her.

Lying on the plate in front of Avenger, is a bubbling, black, corrupted looking dish. It looked as if it is alive. The bubbles on my dish have morphed itself into a skull looking face for a moment.

Avenger swallows her saliva.

"What's the matter? It would be rude of the guest to refuse a dish from the host." I make fun of her.

Her expressionless face, cringes into an expression of worry. Her mouth was slightly frowning.

"It's mapo tofu. In short, it's a dish that uses chili and spices." I explain to her.

"I see. I can clearly smell the spices in this dish."

She picked up the spoon that was set aside the dish, and poked the mapo tofu. The moment the spoon made contact with the sauce, a bubble welded up from that spot and exploded into tiny bits of mapo tofu.

As if she's under the might of the dish, Avenger shrinks away from the dish.

I am staring with amusement in my eyes. It is indeed a hilarious sight, to think such a 'simple' dish could make a servant feel this much displeasure.

"Where is your pride as Britain's King?" I mock. It was at times like this that, I could use her title, as the King of Knights, in situations like this. "Eat."

She puffs her chest up and holds onto the spoon. The moment that metal and sauce makes contact, the same thing occurs. This time she doesn't falter. She brings the spoon to her lips, and…

"Quite impressive, you managed to consume the whole dish." I complement the King of Knights.

"Y-your… complement i-is… unnecessary." She says as she shakes her head and massages her temples. The mapo tofu has taken its toll on Avenger, even for a servant, it's too strong.

The ingredients for the dish were all, conveniently in the fridge. All the pots and pans were ordered in the cupboard, and so were the utensils and plates. How ordered.

Honestly, the result was an accident. I randomly put in ingredients to see what would come out, this was the result. It's just surprising that any being, other than me, would be able to stomach this dish. You indeed have my respect now, King of Knights.

"You… still haven't a-answered my question from the beginning. Why, why do you know who I am?" She asks while trying to withstand the aftereffects of the mapo tofu. It's hard to take her seriously, the way she is now. She's putting the effort to regain her composure.

Right, she had her sword up to my neck and was trying to force it out of me. How unnecessary.

"That's because I've been in this war before, just like you." I shove this fact into her face.

The effects of the mapo tofu have disappeared, the burden is now gone. She sits up straight and has a look of shock on her face, her mouth is open. Something I haven't seen at all.

"What?" She asks me whilst stun.

"I've been in the 5th grail war before." I repeat again in annoyance. What didn't she understand with this simple sentence?

I don't think I can hide it from Avenger, it's not necessary to hide it from her anyway. The distrust would hurt our relation as master and servant. Even though she may have been Emiya Shirou's servant at one point, she's currently my servant now.

"I can't understand… what are you saying?" She brings her left palm to her head, and slightly shakes her head.

It must be an overload of unexpected events that's causing the difficulty of her understanding. It's the same for me as well, except that I've been more accepting to the situation than she has. The black grail, the attempted birth of Angra Mainyu, blackened Matou Sakura, blackened Saber, and the Emiya who obtained Archer's abilities. It's not all that surprising.

"I am from the same timeline you're from. The same timeline where Angra Mainyu tried to birth itself through Matou Sakura, where you were caught by the black shadow, and where you became Sakura's servant." I state.

She is visibly trembling. Did those words really shake her up this much? Being bathed in the curse of Angra Mainyu must have changed her personality and mindset drastically. The amount of curses amount to 5.6 billion, unless your ego was as hard-headed as Gilgamesh's, then it would've been impossible for you to withstand it.

"I-I… I'm sorry master. I was not able to protect you." She apologizes to me, in a gentle tone. She turns her head down towards the table. Her hair covers her eyes, I can no longer see them. "This time… I'll be sure to protect you."

How touching. Maybe, it would've moved my heart, but, I wasn't Emiya Shirou at heart. Those words are wasted on me.

"What happened after you killed me?" She asks me hesitantly.

"I was killed." By Emiya Shirou. However, even if I was left alone, I probably would've died anyway.

She bites her lip, and clenches her fist. "I see… are you still going to protect Sakura?"

"Of course."

She was the mother that would give birth to All the World's evils. As a priest, I also have a duty to bless whatever is born. You can't judge the crimes of a being that hasn't been born. And in this case, you can't judge the crimes of a being that has not yet committed any crimes.

Avenger will probably think of my reasons differently. After all, Emiya was trying to save her out of love.

"I see…" She says. "Master, about your personality…"

"I could ask you the same thing." I wittily reply back.

She immediately quiets herself, after my response.

The mostly likely conclusion that she could think of is, I must've been showered by the grails contents. The truth is I really was… back in the 4th Holy Grail War. But if I were to say it had an impact on me, it has only taught me of the nature of this world. The amount of evils that humans can produce is amazing.

"Then do you have any idea of what is going on?"

"An idea? Perhaps, but it's better off unsaid, until proven." I answer.

I have no proof that it's the grail that brought me here. Getting Avenger to conclusions about our current situations, might make her do unnecessary actions on her own, it might possibly inhibit my actions in the future.

"…"

"…"

There are no more words to be said. The silence has wedged its place between us. The conversation has now ended. Whatever needs to be said can happen in the morning.

Something was welling up from inside me, I yawn out loud. I needed to sleep, thinking comes after that.

"I'm going to sleep. You can do as you wish, as long as you don't make yourself known to anybody else." I say to her drowsily.

I get up from my seat and take my leave. There were numerous rooms in this place, but I didn't know which one was Emiya's. I'm assuming it's the one with the small table inside. Avenger is following after me; I guess it means I'm right if she's not questioning me. It's a tidy room, not a single speck of dust to be seen.

I open the closet and find a futon inside. Grabbing it, I turn and around, only to face Avenger

"What is it?" I question her. I said before that she could as she pleased. What is she doing here?

"I will watch over you from any threats while you sleep."

"I see."

I put the futon down, and lay it out from top to bottom. The wrinkles were there, but it would probably appear again after I lay on it, so there's no point in getting rid of it.

I systematically put the pillow on the top, get in the futon, and lay my head on the pillow. On the side is Avenger on her knees, staring at my face. Hopefully, I won't be bothered by her current actions. This has never happened before.

"Good night, master."

"Ok." It's more of a stressing night.

* * *

There's a blue swordsman that's currently in battle. She's constantly moving, trying to combat the speedy opponent that opposes her.

A cloaked opponent with a mask on his face. A mask that eerily smiles at her, as if it was welcoming death out in open arms. Assassin.

They both move in the same direction when they move. If Assassin retreats, the swordsmen moves forward; if Assassin goes left, she goes left. They both move, never stopping.

Weapons clash. The swordsman is knocking out daggers that are shot at the speed of bullets, no matter how many shot in her direction; they are swatted away like flies.

She can't see these daggers at all, their too fast for the eye to see. That's why she's not using her eyes at all. The wind, she can feel the daggers from reading the flow of the wind; on top of that, her instincts are aiding her in battle. She can deflect them away, as if they were insignificant.

But, even if she does, she cannot gain any ground on the opponent. Assassin keeps his distance from her. He cannot match her at close range, that's why he retreats and waits for her.

There's irritation and frustration within the swordsman movements. Despite the clear advantage she has, there's something wrong about this battle. She has made no progress in this battle at all; all she did was exhaust assassin's daggers.

Assassin is laughing at her, and he retreats even further. He isn't laughing about the battle they are fighting,but laughing about the stupidity in her actions and choices.

There's something lurking around, something ominous and dark that could easily overpower her. She could feel it on the tip of her tongue.

It's a trap, she knows it's a trap, he knows it's a trap.

Was she fighting a losing battle from the start?

If she were to take one step furth- it doesn't matter. She's been caught.

A black shadow appears, that threatens to consume all. It's alive, it's hungry, it's cursed, and it wants to be born. It wouldn't even matter if she moved forward, that shadow isn't something stationary, it moved as it pleased.

This battle is no more, the winner has been decided. And the blue swordsman has lost, once she has been by that black shadow, there's no more turning back. All pure heroic spirits are nothing in front of that monster. It's indiscriminate and can't tell from foe or ally.

The assassin takes of the bandage around his arm, it's a noble phantasm. The name of the noble phantasm is Zabaniya: a cursed arm that once unleashed can create a copy of the opponents heart and crush it, then by touching the target's chest, he could switch the copy and the real heart. This noble phantasm completely ignores physical armaments, it means nothing in front of this cursed arm.

It aims at its target. The moment this hand touches it's chess- it's cut off instantly. Assassin retreats back out of pain.

But, that's the last resistance this swordsman can show, now she's going to be devoured by the shadow.

This is how the servant, Saber, died.

* * *

What just happened? It felt like I was dreaming just now, but it felt too realistic for it to be a dream. And that figure just now… that was Saber, before she was devoured by the shadow. So this is how she met her end…

I slowly open my eyes to the brightness that gleams through my eyes. It's morning and I still feel tired.

A figure visibly moves beside me, she's on her knees with her hands on her lap.

"Good morning, master." She greets.

I'm frankly shocked, I think I saw her in the same position when I closed my eyes to sleep. She wasn't there the whole time, was she?

"How long have you been in that position?" I enquire.

"Ever since you've been sleeping."

She was here the whole time. I have mixed feelings about this. It's definitely reassuring that she was here to protect me… but, this is clearly an invasion of privacy. Close, extremely close. Especially since she has been watching over me the whole night, it's uncomfortable.

"I see. Next time, sleep in the next room next door." I order her, not suggest.

Her eyebrows furrow.

"Why, master? It's safer for me to stay by your side."

I completely agree with that statement, I really do. But there's something that just makes this uncomfortable for me, I feeling that I haven't exactly felt, and it's annoying.

"Because I feel uncomfortable and annoyed." I bluntly tell her.

She narrows her eyes and harshly stares at me. This is bad. I can feel the atmosphere dropping a few temperatures down. Is this going to happen when she doesn't have her way.

Lancer was easier to deal with.

"Is that so? That reason isn't justifiable enough. Unless I'm satisfied with your reason, I'm going to ignore that order." She counters back.

Is it now?

"Because if you don't, I'm going to use a command spell to make you." I hold out my left hand up, with the back of my hand facing her direction.

She slightly gasps, she tried to hold it back. Her fists clench and visibly shake. "You would go that far?"

"Yes."

"…Very well." She gets up and leaves towards the exit. "If you need me, I will be in the dojo. I expect that you will be going to school as well." And closes it.

…Wonderful. I'm now left to my own devices. Like I'm going to such an establishment, known as school…

* * *

There's a smell coming from the kitchen, it smells similar to the morning I had yesterday. I walk in, and…

"SHIROU!"

"Senpai, good morning."

I am not putting up with this again.

I walk back out, and quickly dress into the school uniform that is within the numerous clothes.

I take the food on the dish, and gobble it all up within a few mouthfuls. Sakura and Fujimura are both agape.

"Itadakimasu." I say with no rush in my voice, "I'm leaving for school."

* * *

In a way, this place is more bustling than the streets. There's so much people gathered in this one place, they all have one thing in common, they come here for education.

Something alerts my senses, once I enter the grounds of the academy, my senses alert me of something that's silently flowing through the school. I didn't sense it yesterday, but now I could feel. There's a bounded field around this school, I don't know about its function, but if it's detectable and out in the open like this, the person must be less than 2nd-rate.

I'm currently on the first floor of Homurahara Academy; and I have come to a realization. I don't have a clue of where my locker or class is.

"Tch." I should've came with Sakura if it was going to be like this.

"What's the matter, Emiya?"

Perfect, the moment I need help, my answer is called upon to me. I have no idea who this person is, but if this person knows me, it will be all the more convenient. However…

My instincts momentarily act up, and I jump back. I couldn't even hear him.

A tall man in a business suit, he has glasses and short black hair.

This man is dangerous, there's something about him that makes my blood flow faster. There's no killing intent or murderous air around him, but I can still feel the danger behind this man.

"…" The silent air around him seemed to focus itself onto me, as if it were trying to pierce through me.

His breathing is calm, controlled, yet natural. His breathing was matching with his movements.

"…Emiya?" He asks, in a monotone voice.

"I seem to be lost. Could you please guide me to my classroom?" I ask with carefulness.

He's the master of Caster, Kuzuki Souchirou. I found out his identity, due to the order I gave to Lancer when I was his master, "Fight against everyone. But do not defeat them. Survive your first battle against everyone."

"Are you saying you don't know where your class is?"

"Yes."

"Very well, come with me."

He walks to the staircase, and I follow behind him carefully.

"Did you lose your memory?" He inquires.

"No."

"Then, how do you not know?" He tries to probe me.

"Because I never learnt where my class was." I blatantly tell him.

"You were shown at the beginning of the year."

"I wasn't here at the beginning of the year."

"Are you Shirou Emiya?"

"Yes."

These questions are starting to annoy me. But, he has no shock or any visible expression in his movements, body or voice. It's been a consistent, constant, question-answer conversation. I'm quite content talking to someone like this.

"After answering all of your questions, could I perhaps, ask a few questions of my own?"

"Do as you please."

Perfect, there's been something that has me interested about him that I'd like to ask about.

"What martial arts or fighting style do you use?" I ask casually.

He stops walking for an instant, but then continues moving, "Snake."

Snake? I think I may have heard of that from somewhere, it had something to do with an isolated group, raising children.

"How long have you trained?"

"Ever since I could remember." In short, it means since he was a child.

He's been fighting since he was young on whatever path he has took, just like me. His hands are stained with blood.

"Why are you at this school?"

"This occupation is what I have happened to land on, on my path to find meaning in my life."

Meaning? This is not a surprise at all, to be trained as a killer since a young age would lead you to a lifeless, meaningless, and pleasure-less life.

"We're here, Emiya. Work hard."

I look up to the sign above the class door, 2C. I see, so this is my classroom.

"Much appreciated, Sensei." I give my thanks. "One last thing. Where do I sit?"

He points a finger towards a seat, and then he walks away.

Most interesting, people like him still exist. If anything, I would consider him the same as Emiya Kiritsugu and I. The same thing we all have in common is our background in fighting and training. However, Kiritsugu had meaning in his life and was trying to work towards a goal. While I'm trying to find happiness and pleasure in life, this is what my meaning in life is.

Does he not doubt who I am at all? Maybe he doesn't care if I'm an imposter or fake? I find it completely outrageous, someone who would let something like this slide.

Upon walking inside this classroom, I notice the particular pattern the student bundle themselves up. Everyone is split into their own factions, the ones with the nude magazines, the arrogant ones are teamed up, and the ones who are apparently beautiful, have girls crowded around them.

I walk towards my seat, put my bag on the side, and sit.

And now I wait for class to start…

"Yo, Emiya. You seem brim and proper, why were you away yesterday?"

I look towards the direction of the voice and am greeted by the sight of a blue boy, that's surrounded by girls.

Matou Shinji, good for nothing garbage, that's descended from the parasite, Matou Zouken. The inferiority complex this boy has is intense; he was born powerless, with no attributes for being a magus. The Matou line will end at his generation, their bloodline will thin out into extinction.

"Killing a puppy." I say with a smile on my face.

The cheery atmosphere around them broke, and they slowly backed away.

"H-Ha, that joke isn't funny, Emiya." He replies with stutter.

"Joke, me? I'm completely serious." The smile on my face gets slightly bigger.

"Y-you, you are freaking creepy!" He says with disgust. And he walks out, with the girls around him.

Walking out now? Class is going to start soon.

"SHIROU! HOW COULD YOU DITCH US INTO THE DUST, AND LEAVE ON YOUR OWN!" A monstrous voice travels its way towards me. Trouble is brewing its way towards me. And the roaring figure flies through the door like lightning.

She is also a sensei. I forgot.

"Wha- Fujimura-sensei?"

"Taiga, what are you doing?"

"Sensei, you're too loud in the morning."

Numerous students talk back to the roaring lion, that tries to tackle its way through the students.

"DON'T CALL ME TIGER!" She roars at the students that comment about her.

A familiar tall man appears behind her back.

"Fujimura-sensei, class is about to start." Kuzuki says. He holds onto the collar of Fujimura with an iron grip.

"NO, NOT UNTIL I LECTURE SHIROU!" But Kuzuki ignores her and drags her out of the classroom.

A teacher walks in with a few books in his hands. "Your teacher is currently busy right now, so it's self-study for now."

"Yes! Free time."

"Yay."

The students all celebrate, despite the purpose of this place is to have an education. Such a contradiction, why do they even bother to come here?

"What the hell was that, Emiya? What'd you do to piss off Taiga?" One of the students ask me

"That's right Emiya. When I come back to class, I see this trouble you've caused." The trash, Matou Shinji, is back, squabbling to me.

"Quiet yourself, trash. You'll bite your tongue."

"WHAT!? How dare you say that to someone like me!?" He shouts with wrath in his voice. "Are you trying to pick a fight?"

His haughty, arrogant personality is now starting to surface from its hiding place. Emiya was friends with someone like this? How unfortunate.

"No." I tell him.

"Then watch your words. Otherwise I'll make you regret it!" He scowls back at me.

"I wonder what reason you have for putting everyone else below you. Perhaps it's an inferiority complex?"

"Inferiority complex? I don't want to hear that from someone with a broken shoulder."

Emiya has a broken shoulder? He hadn't shown any problems relating to his shoulder at all in the last war, and I haven't felt anything either. I should test the limits of this body when I get back to the household.

"Hearing that from someone of the Matou household, with no circuits whatsoever, is most humorous."

"W-What!"

Hmph, another sentence should push his buttons.

"Did you not hear me, temporary master? Don't degrade yourself any further; otherwise you'll stain the name of Matou."

He grinds in teeth in rage and irritation, and prepares himself like a carnivore, aiming for his prey. The other students watch as we argue, not trying to do anything. Of course, they have no reason to interfere at all.

I think I may have purposely provoked this fight. But there's something about him that just makes him irritating.

He dashes towards me, whilst raising his right hand up, and prepares to punch me.

Futile. He must have a death wish.

I quickly get up from my seat and use my right leg to dash in. I bring my right arm to grab his own rised arm to raise it above us. The moment I land with my left leg, I use it to rotate my body 90 degree to the right, and knead his stomach with me left elbow.

Acid from his insides drips out of his mouth the moment I make contact. I could feel the sensation of my elbow, squishing something soft. It wasn't fast enough, this body is different to my own, but it was quite fit.

And he goes down on his knees, curling as he holds his stomach, because of the pain.

How weak.

Everyone around me stares in fear.

"What the hell, Emiya?"

"Didn't you overdo it?"

"You're overreacting."

I ignore their meaningless drabble from around me, and stare at the temporary master in front of me. He's trembling on the floor, while trying to endure the pain.

How weak. How short-lived.

Is this school life? My impression so far… it is a rush of events that seems to not link whatsoever. It's random events that group together.

He brings his face up and stares at me with immense hate. He uses his left hand to wipe his mouth, and tries to take a deep breath, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING RIDER? ACTIVATE IT NOW!"

The boundary field that's set up, around this school, starts to act up. I look outside. From the ground up, everything is slowly dyed into a blood-red world. Slowly, as it brings its way up, the students that touches the magic, instantly collapse and foam at the mouth.

As it makes its way towards this height, I feel something trying to invade my body. It was trying to eat away at my skin, and penetrate my whole body. It was like there were tiny bugs, trying to eat at me.

Up above the school at the top of the bounded field is an eye.

This is… a bounded field that's designed to dissolve humans and turn them into magical energy. This is bad. With this many students, who knows how much energy the user could get. Luckily, the culprit is right in front of me, sitting in his own fluids.

I hastily close in to smash his skull, but as my hand makes contact with his hair, something fast and sharp tries to slice my hand off. I back out at the last second.

"Hoo, you have good instincts."

A blind folded figure with long purple hair, Rider. She's one of the faster servants of this war, with speed similar to Lancer's.

This is bad, I did not think this through. Matou Shinji is the false master. If I kill him, the ownership would just transfer to Matou Sakura, therefore increasing the effect of this bounded field, due to her having a better aptitude for being a master. This field does have a few magic sources though, like the ones I saw through Lancer's eyes. However, I can't determine a thing, not like this, not when I'm confronting a servant.

"Ha… hahaha. You'll regret crossing me, Emiya." Says the half-dead trash on the floor.

Do I have no choice but to resort to a command seal?

If I show an opening, she'll quickly slice off my hand. Damn it, I have to get away and quickly call Avenger.

I stance myself, preparing to counter whatever she does, even though I know it's suicide trying to combat a servant.

A rain of arrows comes from the door, aiming at Rider. She elegantly dodges her way around them, and quickly grabs the Matou boy and breaks through the window.

"Tch." The tanned man goes.

"Ahh, I can't believe you missed, Archer. It was a surprise attack too." A twin-tailed girl, behind Archer says. She had her palm up to her face, but crosses her arms and sighs, "To think there was another magus under my nose, and he's also a master. I'm losing my edge."

"Don't worry master, we'll get her next time." Archer says in a reassuring tone. He dematerializes his bow.

She looks at me with a judging gaze, try to study me. Then she points at me. "Emiya-san, you are a master aren't you? Why didn't you bring your servant?"

That's the first thing she asks about? You have your priorities wrong, I've taught you better than that. It should be information about the first, foremost, danger.

"That's beca-" Wait a minute, she wasn't Saber anymore. She's in the Avenger class, is she able to dematerialize? Due to touching the black grail, she reincarnated as Black Saber and received a physical body. But, since she was summoned, perhaps she can keep her sprit form. She never tried to dematerialize so I don't know, "It's complicated. We had a disagreement"

It was an easier response, than explaining the mix-up in my head.

"I… see… to think there was another magus under my nose" She stares at me with exaggerating eyes. And brings her hand up to her face again, and sighs, "I guess we're enemies."

Archer on the other hand crosses his arms and shakes his head, side to side, with a half-smile.

"Are we? Strange, your servant should say otherwise."

Rin's eyes go down, in response to my statement. She stares at Archer, "What is he talking about?"

The smile on Archer's face got bigger.

"The truth is, I encountered them on my patrol last night when you were asleep. I offered a truce and they agreed." Archer say's casually.

"WHAT!? When were you planning to tell me this!? Who let you decide without my permission!? Explain yourself!" Rin crankily throws questions at Archer.

But all Archer does is smile, not being pressured by Rin's questions.

"Rin, we'll talk about this later. Right now, we should deal with Rider and her master." Archer quickly changes the topic.

Rin sighs again. "I guess we should. Ok, Emiya. What can you do?" She asks about my abilities.

"I can cook... mapo tofu."

"Not that! Combat wise! And mapo tofu? Your sense of taste is just as bad as that fake priest's." She says back in anger.

Bad as that fake priest? I feel slightly offended.

"I know Bajiquan. As for magecraft… I never progressed beyond the degree of a beginner for most things. " I state.

Archer raises an eyebrow at my statements. He now has a curious gaze on me.

"Hmm… Bajiquan, huh. In other words, you're going to be useless here." She says, without any guilty conscience, whatsoever, "Alright. Archer, you take care of Rider. Emiya and I will look for the magic sources for this bounded field!" She orders.

"Alright, master. But you don't mind if I take care of Rider first, right?"

To think he can keep a sense of humour in this situation. Does nothing faze this servant? Rin just smiles at his question then runs off.

"Use your senses and reinforcement magic to find them. It'll make life a whole bunch easier." He turns his back to me and heads out the window.

Reinforcement magic… huh.

* * *

"Ah, damn it! Where do we start finding them!? Who knows how long it's going to take to go through the school." She voices her complaints out with irritation.

"Complaining won't make this any easier." I say my thoughts.

"Shush, you! If you have any bright ideas, please do share them!"

Archer said to use my senses. It can't be that easy, can it?

I control my breathing and slow down my body activity. I adjust it to so I could concentrate on my senses, to find these magic sources. I would go further, but, I can clearly feel them, the positions of the magic sources near me. Is it that I've gotten better at this, or is it that this body is just sensitive?

"There's one there, behind the papers on the bulletin board." I point it out for Rin.

"Ehh? What are you talking about? Like it could be that easy to find…" Her voice slowly fades away, as I rip off all the paper. I'm right, behind it is one of the magic sources. "I'm surprised, I see that you have your uses."

My mouth curves, ever so slightly. That's what I taught you Rin, use people as you please. Is this my teacher's pride, welling up within me? Who knows.

She goes to the magic source and gets rid of it.

"One down, who knows more to go!" She says with confidence in her voice. "Where's the next one?"

This is going to be an easy, but repetitive task.

"Next is over there."

* * *

**Honestly, I do want to try and type a Rider vs Archer scene, and try to brush up my writing skills for fighting scenes, but this viewpoint is strictly from Kotomine's. I might just post it as an intermission or something, but I might not do it. We'll see.**


End file.
